β-glucans obtained from beer spent yeasts as functional food grade additive: Focus on biological activity

Nowadays, there is an increasing interest in the search for new healthy compounds obtained from by-products of the food industry, because of the concomitant trend towards reutilization and by-products exploitation, both hallmarks of the circular economy. One of these by-products are the brewers spent yeasts (BSY), generated by the brewing industry. BSY, if not properly inactivated and disposed-off, represents an environmental problem. One of the uses given to it is as a feed for livestock. However, certain components of yeast cell walls (in particular, beta-glucans) have great potential to be used as Biological Response Modifiers (BRM) for humans. In recent years the interest on these compounds has grown-up, as the research on its potential application as food additives capable of conferring a benefit on consumer's health. Prebiotic, immunomodulatory and antitumoral activities are particularly of great interest. Since beta-glucans possess several physiological functions and considering that BSY cell walls are rich in beta-glucans, the food industry could generate additional revenue by isolating beta-glucans from SBY as a high-value product. The possibility of producing value-added products such as beta-glucans from this by-product could benefit beer manufacturers and, in addition, minimize the environmental impacts from these industries. This review summarizes the potential application of BSY by-product by the purification of cell wall components (beta-glucans) for application as functional additive, focused on their biological effect on the intestinal context.

Automated summary

Nowadays, there is a growing interest in finding new healthy compounds from by-products of the food industry. One such by-product is brewers spent yeast (BSY), which, if not properly treated, can pose an environmental problem. Certain components of BSY, particularly beta-glucans, have great potential as biological response modifiers for humans. This review summarizes the potential application of BSY by-product, specifically the extraction of cell wall components (beta-glucans), and focuses on their biological effects in the intestinal context.